WASHINGTON — Satellite manufacturers say they are trying to protect their component suppliers from the drought of commercial telecom spacecraft that threatens to put such companies out of business. As the slowdown in geostationary satellite orders enters its fourth year, manufacturers worry that the suppliers they rely on, many being small businesses, won’t survive unless major adaptations take place. To ensure supplier continuity, manufacturers said they are aggressively standardizing the components they use for various satellites, thereby increasing production of the same units. “Over a quarter of our suppliers are small…

WASHINGTON — The downward trend of satellite capacity pricing, brought about largely by the increase in more powerful high-throughput satellites, has prices trending between 35 and 60 percent lower than where they were two years ago, according to Northern Sky Research. Those sliding prices will continue into 2019, judging by contracts extending into the next 12 months, Christopher Baugh, NSR’s president and founder, said March 13 during a presentation at the Satellite 2018 conference here. And a rebound back to previous pricing norms is nowhere to be seen. “To say…

This article originally appeared in the March 12, 2018 issue of SpaceNews magazine. The world’s biggest, best established satellite operators talk of broadband as an enormously lucrative opportunity. But in truth, nothing is causing them more frustration. Demand for ever-faster broadband internet connections is maxing out today’s satellites, setting off an industry-wide stampede toward increasingly powerful high-throughput satellites (HTS). While that might sound like a good thing, the rush to HTS is driving down bandwidth prices so fast that some fairly low-mileage satellites are struggling to keep up. Seasoned operators,…

WASHINGTON — Blue Origin has added a fourth customer to its launch manifest for the still-in-development New Glenn rocket. “We are honored to have SKY Perfect JSAT as a customer for an early New Glenn launch,” Bob Smith, Blue Origin’s chief executive, told SpaceNews. “They are the biggest commercial satellite operator in Asia and highly respected. The whole team at Blue thanks SKY Perfect JSAT for placing its trust in us to take them to orbit.” The Jeff Bezos-owned company also announced March 12 that mu Space, a Thai startup,…

WASHINGTON — A Soyuz rocket from Arianespace successfully delivered four telecommunications satellites into medium Earth orbit for fleet operator SES. The rocket took off from Europe’s spaceport in French Guiana at 12:11 p.m. Eastern March 9 after a 33-minute delay caused by high altitude winds. The four 700-kilogram satellites separated from the rocket’s upper stage two hours after liftoff in pairs 20 minutes apart. The launch is Arianespace’s second launch of the year and first since an inertial navigation system with incorrect launch data led an Ariane 5 rocket slightly…

Ingham has been declared a disaster zone after flooding caused extensive damage in the town, according to Fire and Emergency Services Minister Craig Crawford. Flooding has dramatically impacted homes around Ingham and Halifax, with some 225 homes around Ingham flooded as 72 children on a school camp north of Ingham were isolated by the rising waters. Two extra swift water rescue crews are being sent to Ingham, where the situation is being described by authorities as a “serious flood”. Mr Crawford said: “In a situation like this it is essential…

WASHINGTON — In a surprise shift, Eutelsat Communications, a staunch defender of geostationary satellites as the way forward, on March 8 said it is buying a low Earth orbit (LEO) demonstration nanosatellite. Another new entrant to LEO, Australia- and New Zealand-focused Optus Satellite is joining Canadian fleet operator Telesat in testing its LEO prototype satellite that launched in January. Paris-based Eutelsat and Optus bring to eight the number of geostationary satellite operators that are openly investing in, building, or partnering with non-geostationary satellite ventures, joining Intelsat, SES, Telesat, Sky Perfect Jsat,…

WASHINGTON — Karim Michel Sabbagh, president and CEO of satellite fleet operator SES, will return to the United Arab Emirates to lead a cybersecurity company headquartered there. DarkMatter, an Abu Dhabi-based cyber company with research and development centers in Canada, Finland and China, announced Sabbagh’s hire March 5. He will join the company as CEO in April, splitting leadership responsibilities with DarkMatter’s founder Faisal Al Bannai. “It is exciting for me to return to the vibrant Middle East region having spent a number of years away, and to lead one…

WASHINGTON — Telesat CEO Dan Goldberg said his company has refrained from running headlong with other fleet operators in adding new telecom satellites over areas now burdened by an oversupply of capacity. That glut of satellite capacity in Asia, Africa and Latin America puts pressure on fleet operators to consolidate, but the industry shouldn’t look to Telesat to initiate any mergers or acquisitions, he said. Goldberg said Telesat is focusing instead on deploying a constellation of small satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO), which would be differentiated from other systems…

WASHINGTON — The Ariane 5 rocket that deviated from its expected flight path Jan. 25 and lost contact with ground control was fed the wrong coordinates, according to the independent commission Arianespace tasked last month to find out what caused the close call. Both telecommunications satellites onboard the rocket safely reached orbit despite the flight anomaly but will need to burn additional fuel to reach their perch some 36,000 kilometers above the equator. The European Space Agency-led independent enquiry commission concluded that Ariane 5’s inertial navigation system was fed the…